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October 05, 2012

The Swagger and Some Honesty About the Knit Designer/Publishing World

I was driving home just now and it occurred to me that if one has a swagger, that it'd take a lot more calories to walk a mile than if one did not have a swagger. I do not have a swagger.

On other thoughts: I've read with interest different comments from knitters who say they won't pay for knitting patterns. I'm not thinking that all knitters feel that way. But, some do. I wonder why that is. Some knitters will pay oodles of cash for yarn (like, upwards of 12 dollars a skein for a sweater's worth of yarn) but put the kabosh on a price tag of five dollars for a pattern that's not a drive-by freebie. You know, the full-on pattern with all the bells and whistles including professional editing and photography. I will totally admit; however, that single patterns can and do have a range of quality. But that doesn't mean that people should expect that patterns need to always be free. Or, that someone who comes up with the pattern should not be compensated.

Speaking from experience, designing a knit pattern, knitting samples, and having it edited isn't a free or quick process. Some patterns, even patterns for hats, have taken me more than a month to produce. And in some cases--especially since a knitwear designer cannot predict the potential popularity of a pattern--it can take months, if not forever, to recoup the costs of producing it professionally.

When my brother Marc was in high school, his goal, other than making good grades, was to never wear anything but shorts and flip flops the entire four years through rain, sunshine, cold, warm and earthquakes (we didn't have sleet or snow). That was his goal and he achieved that goal. He even wore shorts and flip flops under his graduation gown. And when I see someone proudly announce: "I've never ever paid for a knitting pattern and I don't intend to!" I think of him.

So anyway, and in all seriousness, I have to hand it to Shannon Okey (Knitgrrl), the founder of Cooperative Press. Her goal is to find a way to ensure that all the individuals involved in producing a fiber publication will be able to share profits more equally than what we see in the "usual" business models when it comes to knitwear designers. When knitwear designers create a pattern for a magazine, what typically happens is that they get a design approved, they knit a sample from yarn sent to them and provide a pattern in a super-fast time frame . . . then the publication takes it from there. The publishing house edits it, they photograph it and then when they publish the magazine, several months later, they will pay the designer a fee. Sometimes the designer has the opportunity to make royalties on online single-pattern sales which get paid out twice a year. With books, it is similar, but not always the same. In some cases, especially when a book is an edited group of patterns contributed by several designers, the designer can expect to receive a very small one-time fee (way less than a non-luxury car payment) and absolutely no royalties at all. The editor of that book? I have no idea.

Yes, I have contributed to books and received either nothing or maybe a hundred or two hundred bucks for my contribution. It was my choice and I did it, but this is what people like me face, which is fine. We live in a world where we have choices. I'm not going to--and never will--complain because I also have it good. I am backed by a great publisher and have worked with a handful of wonderful organizations, too.

So, when I see a business model like Cooperative Press, I get excited. Cooperative Press differs from a standard publisher in that they pay four-to-five-times higher royalties, embrace digital as well as print and offer
authors a greater degree of creative control than what they'd normally receive. The thing is, unlike a large publisher, they don't have the money or the publicity power that a bigger house has. So that's why I'm spreading the word.

I have copies of several of their publications, namely their recently published ones in the Fresh Design series which features books on shawls, men, scarves and sweaters. They are available as e-books as well as print. These are not super-slick coffee table books, but that is not what they are meant to be. They are edgy and reflect the aesthetic of many everyday knitters.

Comments

Great post. I buy more patterns than I can reasonably expect to knit and would probably buy more if I could keep my paypal account topped up! I appreciate that there are free patterns out there, but I have the utmost respect for designers and think they deserve to be recognized for their skill and hard work.

I consider it reasonable to buy patterns and I'm not going to balk about buying a pattern because it costs some money. The most expensive individual pattern I bought was a scarf pattern, double knit, called 52 Pickup by Alasdair Post-Quinn. It is an opus, a song of joy to double knitting, and even if I never break out the yarn and needles and make it, I will love it, all 100+ pages of it.

I have to admit that I haven't heard many people who don't want to pay for patterns - of course as a self proclaimed knitting hermit that shouldn't surprise me. I love the books I've gotten from Cooperative Press - and I love that it's such a great company!

When I pay for patterns, I'm paying for two things. First, I'm paying for reliability: I know that the pattern has been test-knitted for clarity and accuracy, any mistakes in the pattern will be corrected in an update or with errata, and that the designer will be responsive to questions. Second, I'm paying for the option to buy future patterns from this designer. If she or he cannot earn a fair wage, then they'll move to another profession, and I won't get their patterns. That's worth the price of a latte to me.

Caveat: I've paid for lousy patterns. I don't buy from those designers again. But usually I can vet a new designer by looking at project comments on Ravelry. Once I bought a pattern that promised a new technique: "an ingenious cast-on method making stitch counting for the project unnecessary!" The ingenious method: pulling the chunky yarn through both arm lengths two times. I felt scammed. But I've felt scammed by quite a few bad cups of coffee. And based on past experience, my chances of getting a good pattern from an unknown designer is better than that of getting a good latte from an unfamiliar coffee shop. So I'll go on buying patterns.

I totally agree with all that you have said. I just took a class with Anna Dalvi and I have Shannon and Coop Press to that for a most extraordinary day. I purchased Anna's book Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color from Coop Press and loved it so I took her course at Knit Lab today. People should be glad to support such creative , innovative people who give them a choice of wonderful things to Knit.

I've bought sewing patterns for years. So I have no issues paying for knitting ones. Paula from knitting pipeline said she buys a pattern from a designer if she uses one of their free ones. A great idea.

Ziggy is on my wish list. Hope to have the knitting chops to make it sometime soon.

I am happy to pay for patterns, and I prefer to purchase digital pattern books over paper. I just don't have space for more knitting books, and now that the jewel of my knitting bag is my iPad, I love PDFs! So I embrace the concept of co-operative publishing. But I sure hope you were better compensated for Custom Knits and Custom Knits 2, I love those books. I own both hardbacks and they are well worth the precious shelf space!

i had no idea designers were compensated so poorly for their work - that's terrible! i have no problem paying for patterns. unfortunately my pattern stash is becoming rather unmanageable - i'd have to knit one item a day to get it all done LOL. but i'll still buy them. please keep designing! and i have 2 of your books.

I too do not understand people who will not pay for a pattern. If I am going to spend $100 in yarn for a sweater, I could really care less if the pattern is $7. Especially if it is awesome. I usually just look for something I like. If it is free, cool. If it is $4, $8, $30 cool. Knitting is my hobby and most hobbies cost money.

I have not purchased many patterns, but I'm not anti-pattern. I'm a relatively new knitter (3 years) and so far there are just so many free patterns out there that I can't really justify it. Plus, I'm sure that the second I do purchase a pattern I will then be amazed at what I've been missing and then will have to buy patterns forevermore. That's my problem with yarn, I started out at craft stores scoring the cheap stuff and then, somehow, I got my hands on GOOD YARN and now I go in those stores and am like, meh. I do, however, buy a lot of closeout yarn at Webs. I've also yet to find a pattern that I'm so dying to do that I'll pay money for it. Basic socks, I think, no point. Doll sweaters, wool soakers - same deal. Baby blankets - maybe but I've made OpArt and Baby Shane and they're awesome and free (and each was $80+ in yarn alone, because I would never BUY a $80 baby blanket, but I'll buy materials for that much and then toss in hours and hours of labor). Sweaters - probably - but I haven't graduated to the world of making myself a sweater. And the first will be Oranje by Ann Weaver (go big or go home) and then I'll see.

So, the short version is I don't think patterns should be free, I respect the expertise and work that goes into a pattern, and should I find one I must have, I'll gladly pay for it. I just haven't found it yet.

I ran into a knitter like this once at the LYS where I work. She was of the opinion that because she was buying yarn from us, that I should copy a designer's pattern and give it to her for free. As an indi-designer myself, I was happy to explain to her why we would never do that.

Other than her, I've rarely encountered a "free-pattern-only" knitter in person but I know they exist. And I'm of the personal opinion that if I'm going to spend the same amount of money on yarn as a compact-car payment, then I want to do something amazing with it and I want to have some guidance in the process...hence paying for a pattern :)

We have a "free patterns only" person in our weekly knitters group. In fairness to her, she is young, single, and just getting by on a very limited budget.

For me - I don't mind paying for a pattern when I can see that it has been well designed. This is especially true when I find someone who has a fresh eye. I want to support the designer's efforts so they will continue to bring out new designs. Otherwise they may lose the incentive to do so.

I don't understand why people don't want to pay for patterns but I also don't understand why there are so many free patterns. It seems that with all the creativity, time, and expense that goes into creating a pattern that the designer should be compensated. I don't think designers can be making a whole lot as it is. It seem that designers devalue what they do when they offer so much for free.

I have so many patterns that I bought but have yet to knit. Same goes for knitting books. As someone who is trying to break into designing, I understand the inherent difficulties and am more than happy to spend my money there. I'm actually part of an upcoming Cooperative Press project and you're right—it's more than fair, given the current offerings for designers.

People who never want to pay, get all the fun stories, but they are definitely in the minority. I do buy designs, I've got at least one cute one from you, and the books, but I work very slowly. I'm pretty sure no one could survive off just me. :-)

I was talking to my Mum about this yesterday. I mentioned that in the two years since I started my dissertation, I haven't released a pattern, but that I want to as soon as it's over(next month). I have a couple of designs that just need to be test knitted, photographed and formatted. I told her sales are picking up again now that the weather's colder.

While she's a keen knitter she's not in this internet knitting world, and she's been a bit oblivious to my designs. But yesterday it finally struck her - she said usually she get her patterns from books, which are very expensive (especially where she lives). I explained Ravelry's pattern sales model and she thought it was fantastic that you can pay such a small amount for a great pattern, often good pattern support from the designer, and that the designer gets paid almost the full amount. Cooperative Press's model is fantastic too.